Category Archives: Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

Teays Valley, WV – Overnight fire at Home Depot controlled by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is being credited for controlling a fire inside a business in Putnam County. Firefighters said they got the call about a fire a Home Depot about 12:30 a.m. Monday.

Luckily, several fire departments arrived to find the flames under control. Teays Valley Fire Chief John Smoot credits the sprinkler system for controlling the fire. A manager at the store said there was minimal smoke damage, but a lot of water damage.

Smoot said it started in the paint sections, but right now firefighters don’t know what caused the fire. Home Depot is open Monday, although they will not be mixing paint.

Department Store, Retail

Hixson, TN – Fire at Kmart store contained to printing room by sprinkler system

Firefighters battled a small fire at a Kmart in Hixson Sunday.  When firefighters got to the store on Highway 153, they noticed smoke coming from the right, front portion of the building that is used as a printing room.

The fire was contained to the printing room and officials say the sprinkler system inside help keep the fire under control. Chattanooga Fire Chief Don Bowman says it appears the fire started from one of the printers.  The store was evacuated and employees told officials it’ll take one to two days to clean up the damage.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Bloomington, IL – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at Kroger grocery store

It was a slightly later open than usual for the Kroger grocery store at 1502 N. Main Street in Bloomington on Friday. A Kroger spokesman confirmed there was a small fire that broke out in a manager’s office. Spokesman John Elliott said the fire activated the sprinkler system and there was no damage.

Bloomington Fire Department spokesman Stewart Blade said crews were called to the store at 5:15 a.m. The store has since reopened. Blade said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

Half Moon Bay, CA – Overnight fire at hardware store contained by sprinkler system

Hassett Hardware employees were alerted early this morning to a small fire at the Main Street business. It resulted in damaged special orders due to smoke and sprinkler system. “It was just a small fire in our receiving area,” said Hassett Hardware co-owner Eric Hassett. “The fire suppression system kicked in and prevented the spread fairly quickly.”

The fire alarm went off after 1 a.m. and Hassett said they had an employee on the scene within 10 minutes. Firefighters showed up shortly after that. CalFire Battalion Chief David Cosgrave said firefighters were there until 5 a.m. to ensure the fire was out and to remove burned materials. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this point, Hassett said, but employees suspect an oil-stained rag that was in a melted trashcan could have been the culprit.

The fire left no structural damage, Hassett said, and mostly affected customer special orders for items such as jackets and pants. The employees are going through the mess right now but, Hassett said the business is still operating as usual. “On the front end customers won’t notice,” Hassett said. “It smells a whole lot worse than it really was.”

Retail, Shopping Mall

Duluth, GA – Sprinkler system saves strip mall from damage in fire; No injuries

A small fire at a strip shopping center undergoing construction in Duluth caused minimal damage Wednesday afternoon, thanks to an automatic sprinkler system.

Firefighters responded around 4:48 p.m. to a report of a fire at the shopping center in the 3940 block of Buford Highway, according to Capt. Tommy Rutledge, public information officer for the Gwinnett County fire department.

Crews arrived to find light smoke and the sprinkler system activated. They discovered a small fire in an unoccupied store suite that was had already been extinguished by the sprinklers.

The fire caused minimal damage, as the suite was vacant at the time and no contents were involved. The fire appears accidental and was sparked by a floor compound during construction work. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the structure, Rutledge said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Bowling Green, KY – Fire at home surplus store held in check by sprinkler system

Bowling Green firefighters were called to Super Home Surplus, 2326 Russellville Road, at 3 a.m. after an electrical fire in wiring ignited near a neon sign between the roof and a dropped ceiling, BGFD spokesman Marlee Boenig said.

There was fire damage to a front showroom and minimal water damage to the building, she said. No one was injured. Firefighters remained on the scene for 3-1/2 hours to fight the fire and investigate the cause, Boenig said.

A sprinkler near the point of origin helped keep the fire in check until firefighters arrived, and the sprinkler minimized damage, she said. The department responded with seven trucks and 22 personnel.

Other - Retail, Retail

Center Point, AL – Sprinkler system credited with saving business, shopping center

A sprinkler system is being credited with saving a Center Point business from burning to the ground early Wednesday morning. Someone driving past the Center Point Shopping center noticed smoke coming from the Cleaners and called 911.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 1:30 a.m., but the sprinklers had already extinguished the fire. Center Point Fire Chief Donnie West tells ABC 33/40, the situation could have been much worse had the sprinklers not put the fire out.

The buildings in the shopping center are all connected and West says flammable chemicals inside the business would have quickly caused the fire to spread. The cause of what started the fire remains under investigation.

 

Other - Retail, Retail

Buford, GA – Sprinklers contain fire at muffler shop; Spark from metal saw ignited fuel vapors

A fire sparked by a metal-cutting tool damaged a Buford-area muffler shop Thursday afternoon, according to Gwinnett Fire. No injuries were reported. Firefighters responded to the shop located at 803 West Shadburn Ferry Road at 2:51 p.m. after an employee called to report the blaze, the fire department said in a news release.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the caller reported a car elevated on a mechanical lift had caught on fire. The blaze was held in check by the fire sprinkler system, but sent heavy smoke billowing from the building.

“Several employees were inside the business at the time and were working on the vehicle when the fire started,” Rutledge said in the news release. “The fire appears accidental and was caused by a spark from a saw that was being used to cut metal. The spark ignited nearby fuel vapors.”

The vehicle was heavily damaged. Extensive heat and smoke were sent throughout the mechanic bay. The fire was under control at 3:21 p.m., Rutledge said.

Other - Retail, Retail

London, ON, Canada – Official thanking sprinkler system following Goodwill Donation Centre blaze

A Goodwill Industries official is praising the sprinkler system after a fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Outlet & Donation Centre on White Oak Rd.

President and CEO of Goodwill Industries Michelle Quintyn tells AM980 when fire crews were called.

“At about 11 o’clock this morning, we had a small fire start in the back end of the building. Alarm went off, the one area of the sprinkler system went off, we evacuated the building, everyone got out safely,” she said. “We have had quite a bit of activity here today making sure that the fire is out, it’s a building full of textiles and all kinds of recyclable materials.”

A damage estimate and cause of the blaze could not be determined by the Fire Inspector on duty

Quintyn did, however, mention that the building was undergoing roof work

“The area that the fire occurred is more a warehousing area, it is not a production area. In that vicinity there was some roof work going on,” she said. “A sprinkler system is a good thing to have in a big building like this.”

Fire crews could also be seen inspecting tar machines near where the fire broke out.

Quintyn added that there were well over 200 people in the building at the time, many of them employees and some customers. No injuries have been reported.

 

 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Mt. Pocono, PA – Daily operations unaffected at Walmart after sprinklers activate to control early morning fire

No injuries or significant damage were reported in a fire occurring shortly before 6:30 a.m. Monday at the Mount Pocono Walmart, said Walmart corporate spokesperson Erin Hoffman. An HVAC unit malfunction started the fire, activating the sprinkler system which then damaged a small amount of store products in a back room, said Hoffman. The store was closed from 6:30 to 9 a.m., but daily operations otherwise will not be affected.